Vietnamese citizens returning from the UK queue up to wait for their turn to make health declaration at a quarantine centre in Hung Yen province on April 15 (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) - Professor Carl Thayer from Australia’s University of New South Wales Canberra has spoken highly of Vietnamese people’s support for measures taken by the Government to curb the spread of COVID-19.
In an interview with the Lao dong (Labour) newspaper, Professor Thayer said most Vietnamese people have expressed their support for the Government’s dramatic measures to curb the spread of the disease, including quarantining at hot spots and imposing travel restrictions. People have also largely complied with recommendations to keep two metres apart and wear face masks in public.
The Government’s quarantine and contact tracing policies have proven effective, he added.
Vietnam has indeed had success in the fight against the pandemic thanks to decisive measures taken in the closing days of the Lunar New Year holiday (Tet) in late January.
Schools have been closed nationwide since that time, and people arriving from overseas have undergone mandatory quarantine.
Flights to and from China and Europe have been suspended, and the Army has been mobilised to help provide quarantine facilities and medical services.
As Chair of ASEAN in 2020, Vietnam has also called for regional meetings to deliver a collective response to COVID-19.
In addition, the World Health Organisation (WHO)’s Representative in Vietnam Kidong Park, foreign doctors working in the country, and visitors have lavished praise on the Vietnamese Government’s decisive actions, which have kept the number of infections to less than 300, with no fatalities.
Vietnamese leaders took action early and decisively to quarantine infected people and track down all contacts.
The Ministry of Information and Communications has regularly updated health recommendations and information for the public, to prevent confusion and fake news on social media.
People’s confidence in the Government’s response to COVID-19 remains high, Professor Thayer said, strengthened by efficient and transparent communications, which are vital to curbing the spread of the virus./.
